Is there anyone who does American beauty quite like Michael Kors? From his big-name model cast—see the Chicago-born Karlie Kloss and the Malibu-bred Gigi Hadid—to his irresistibly pretty hair and makeup aesthetic, the designer’s runway show this morning channeled classic house codes with warm, healthy skin and wearable (wantable!) waves. But while it may seem simple, there’s a nuanced artistry to achieving such uncomplicated sophistication. Here, five simple tenets to looking effortlessly great—while also looking like you made the effort—come fall. Because that’s the Michael Kors way.

1. Know Your Limits Working with sheer washes of color can be trickier than applying full-on pigment, a technique that makeup artist Dick Page admits is often a lesson in restraint. “That’s the key word here,” he said of conjuring a natural glow. That meant only using a sheer veil of foundation when needed, then blending a brown and red cream pigment together and lightly working it into the cheeks and across the bridge of the nose with the bristles of a makeup brush for a slight flush.

2. Perfection Is Overrated To make sure the brown eyeliner he applied to the lash lines didn't create too much definition and drama, Page diffused it with a moisturizer-dipped Q-tip so it “stuck into the lashes” for a worn-in finish.

3. Balm Is The Bomb To properly pull off the "just bitten" stain he applied to models’ mouths with a finger-pressing of Kors's Lip Lacquer in Diva (a peachy tone) and Dame (a deep bordeaux), Page “piled on” a clear lip balm first. “I’m putting it on the girls in gobs before they go to hair,” he said of ensuring the lasting conditioning effect.

4. Always Go to Bed With Your Hair Wet To get the right degree of “clumpy” texture, hairstylist Orlando Pita asked models walking in the designer’s show to go to sleep with their hair wet the night before—creating a languid contrast to those “very put-together” clothes on the runway.

5. A Little Dry Shampoo Goes a Long Way If you can’t manage to set damp hair overnight, an excess of product from the day before will serve you well in achieving the requisite relaxed attitude. Pita spritzed halos of his T3 Orlando Pita 360 Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo through the lengths for more separation, before gathering them into a super low-slung “haphazard” ponytail. Just the thing for draping glamorously down the back of one of the designer’s oversize burgundy fur collars or gloriously comfortable mustard coats.